1st place Awardee

Kshitij Kacker
PhD Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee,
India

Heat Stress Indices in Urban Area of Delhi

ABSTRACTFor Urban heat stress exposes the body to extreme thermal conditions resulting
in the failure of thermos-regularity mechanism leading to high mortality andmorbidity. Severe weather and climate change are accelerating the underlying
issue. In the last 80 years, nearly 165 different indices on climate stress havebeen developed. Out of these 165, 100 are for heat stress alone. The indicesformed have a high variation. Heat stress indices are either used for industrialand military Indices which consider short term risks that are imminent in nature,or by epidemiological and meteorological context-based indices that are meant
for long term risk assessment. The research is to aimed to find a suitable index
that could be used to understand the heat stress index in an urban area of Delhi.
Out of these 165 thermal indices there is a dilemma to choose the best fit. These
indices can be classified either as thermal environmental stress and thermophysiological strain indices. Through a comprehensive listing index based onthermal environmental stress and thermo-physiological strain were analysed fortheir applicability in Delhi, India, through literature review. The study got
concluded in shortlisting of a set of indices ranging from calorific value, thermal
sensation scale, clothing related scales and Temperature equivalent scale-based
indices that are best fit for the region of Delhi, India.

2nd place Awardee

Nombulelo Kitsepile
NgulubeDepartment of Social Informatics, Graduate School ofInformatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
How we would like to be involved!
Towards Effective Participatory Post Disaster Relocation and Housing
Reconstruction. A Community Perspective

ABSTRACT
Relocating communities, post-disaster is often considered a last resort for highrisk areas. Research emphasizes the need for inclusive participation in recovery
efforts, particularly involving affected communities in processes like relocationand housing reconstruction. However, the realization of this goal remains elusive,with many communities being marginalized by authorities, leading to the failureof numerous global relocation and reconstruction projects. It is crucial for
authorities to engage with grassroots communities to understand theirperspectives on effective participatory post-disaster relocation and housing
reconstruction. This qualitative study, based on a case study in Tsholotsho
District (specifically Tshino and Sawudweni relocation sites), explores
community perspectives on desired processes and outcomes of their participation.
The research involved twenty-five community participants, six key informantsfrom the Department of Civil Protection in the initial data collection, and sixtyone respondents in the follow-up. Data was gathered through face-to-faceinterviews, observations, questionnaires and a focus group discussion. Key
findings identified crucial processes from the end user's perspective, including
fair representation of stakeholders, decision-making influence, integration of
local knowledge, capacity building, early member engagement, and goal setting.
Respondents anticipated benefits such as project ownership, empowerment,
timely project objective implementation, and effective facilitation. This study
contributes to the literature on successful participatory post-disaster relocationand housing reconstruction in developing countries such as Zimbabwe. It offers
insights into involving disaster-affected communities in recovery decisionmaking, aligning with the goal of Building Back Better.

3rd place Awardee

Debkalpa BasuDas
Research Scholar, Women’s Studies Research Centre,
University of Calcutta

Exploring the Role of Theatre in influencing Eco-feminist Awareness:
A study in village Bishnubati, Birbhum, West Bengal, INDIA

ABSTRACTFor several decades now, the world is experiencing twoimmense social problems namely
Violence against Nature (VAN) and Violence against Women (VAW). Mother Nature and Womenare connected with each other which has been argued by several researchers (Ortner, 1974).
Women are the primary sufferers of environmental degradation and forest resource depletion. In
contemporary world, women and nature both are subject of domination by patriarchal society. Tocombat this violence we need to raise voice against VAW and VAN simultaneously. Women andNature both are controlled by patriarchal society. In her book ‘Theorizing Patriarchy’, Sylvia
Walby (1990) calls patriarchy as “a system of social structures and practices in which men
dominate, oppress and exploit women”.
The role of theatre as a powerful tool for communication and creating awareness amongst masses
is well known.Main aim of this research is to understand the nature of change in eco-feminist
consciousnessusing theatre as a tool. How it influences the perception of the audience is one of themain objectives of this research. Here, the researcher has chosen a tribal village of Birbhum
District of West Bengal, India, named ‘Bishnubati’. This study is primarily descriptive in natureand it uses a blend of qualitative and quantitative methods.
We have conducted field survey in that village with 40 respondents. After the survey the level ofawareness regarding Violence against Nature (VAN)and Violence against Women (VAW) wasassessed. The output of the field survey shows that majority of the respondents agreed on theatre
as the best medium of creating awareness among masses. A theatre play was staged for them tounderstand the impact of the theatre. After the theatre performance 2nd level survey had also been
conducted with the same 40 respondents along with 25 case narratives. Two case narratives out of
25 case studies are also presented for in-depth understanding.
Here I am going to present a brief performance in line with the theme of the theatre that was used
to influence the awareness of the respondents.
The findings of the work at hand provide ample scope to influence government policies to combat
environmental problems along with improvement of the status of women in disadvantaged tribal
areas through creating awareness on such issues using theatre as a tool. Besides, corporate houses
can use the findings of the present study to encourage NGOs as a part of their Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR).

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